Rate My Professor Fred Smith

Fred Smith served as a Lecturer in Security Studies at Macquarie University from 2013 to 2021 and has held an Honorary Fellowship in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology within the Faculty of Arts since 2021. A retired Captain from the United States Navy, he applied his extensive operational experience in security and intelligence to academic teaching and research. Smith co-taught a range of postgraduate units in security studies, including Simulation in Security and Strategy (PICT951), Simulation in Counter Terrorism (PICT955), Strategic Simulation (PICX950), Simulation in Cyber Security (PICX954), The Intelligence Community in Australia (PICT814), and The Modern Intelligence Practitioner (PICT844). These units featured practical simulations to develop students' strategic thinking and analytical skills in real-world security scenarios.

Smith's teaching excellence was acknowledged as part of a team with Dr. Yves-Heng Lim and Dr. Adam Lockyer, named finalists for the 2019 Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence in the Faculty of Arts for their innovative programs in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology. His contributions to the field include co-authored works such as 'Manus Island and the Lombrum Naval Base' (2021, with Adam Lockyer), 'Key trends and drivers in military modernization in the Indo-Pacific' (2022, with Bates Gill, Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Viraj Solanki, and Andrew T. H. Tan), and analyses of the US-Australia alliance's implications for Australian defence strategy and procurement (with Yves-Heng Lim and Adam Lockyer). Following his lecturing role, Smith transitioned to Manager, Professional Development in Strategic Intelligence and Capability at the New South Wales Police Force State Intelligence Command.